Well tools

ABSTRACT

A coupler for interconnecting spaced bodies in an articulated manner. One form of the coupler includes elongate locking fingers having external locking bosses along opposite ends and supported by a spring in parallel spaced relationship along opposite sides of a pair of elongated spacers. The spacers are movable longitudinally against the spring toward either end of the coupler to allow the locking fingers along the other end of the coupler to be squeezed together for coupling into or uncoupling from a locking recess of one of the spaced bodies. Upon release the spring returns the spacers to neutral aligned positions holding the locking finger in parallel noncompressible coupling relationship. Another form of the coupler includes rotatable spaced latch rings around the locking fingers at opposite ends of the spring. The latch rings have internal release recesses and locking flanges and are each rotatable between a first position at which the spacers are released to move longitudinally relative to the ring and locking fingers and a second position at which the spacers are held against longitudinal movement at neutral positions between the locking fingers holding the locking fingers against compression in coupling positions. Both forms of the coupler are useful for interconnecting a plurality of well tools to form an articulated train of tools for movement through a tubing string.

United States Patent [72] .Inventor John V. Fredd ABSTRACT: A couplerfor interconnecting spaced bodies in Dallas, Tex. an articulated manner.One form of the coupler includes elon- [21] Appl. No. 855,309 gatelocking fingers having external locking bosses along op- [22] FiledSept. 4, 1969 posite ends and supported by a spring in parallel spacedrela- [45] Patented Sept. 7, 1971 tionship along opposite sides of apair of elongated spacers. [73] Assignee Otis Engineering Corp. Thespacers are movable longitudinally against the spring Dallas, Tex.toward either end of the coupler to allow the locking fingers along theother end of the coupler to he s ueezed to ether for q 2 coupling intoor uncoupling from a locking recess of one of [54] WELL TOOLS the spacedbodies. Upon release the spring returns the spacers 17 Claims, 18Drawing Figs. to neutral aligned positions holding the locking finger inparal- [52] U S I I M 64/16 lel noncompressible coupling relationship.Another form of [51] Fwd 3/44 the coupler includes'rotatable spacedlatch rings around the [50] Fie'ld 0 64/16 locking fingers at oppositeends of the spring. The latch rings I 6 have internal release recessesand locking flanges and are each rotatable between a first position atwhich the spacers are 5 References i d released to move longitudinallyrelative to the ring and locking UNITED STATES PATENTS fingers and asecond position at which the spacers are held against longitudinalmovement at neutral positions between 3*096'679 7/l963 g 24/2 thelocking fingers holding the locking fingers against com- 3507528 4/1970Debmdrchm 287/124 pression in coupling positions. Both forms of thecoupler are Primary Examiner-Mark M. Newman useful for interconnecting aplurality of well tools to form an Assistant Ixaminer-Randall Healdarticulated train of tools for movement through a tubing Attorney-H.Mathews Garland string.

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' Ga l l f 73 y I l I I l l v 7 a I l 42 PATENTED SEP 71911 3.603110 sum1 or 5 "Wm/r0)? John V. Fredd ATTORNEY PATENTEUSEP mm 31303110 SHEEI 20F 5 INVENTOR J0 h n V. F re d d ATTORNEY PATENTED SEP 7 l9?! SHEET t[1F 5 l/VVE/VTUR John V. Fredd BY ATTORNEY PATENT-E7085? nan 3503110 sum5 or s nvvmron John V. Fre dd Arm/ms) WELL TOOLS This invention relatesto well tools and more particularly relates to a coupler for connectingspaced bodies in an articulated manner.

It is a particularly important object of this invention to provide a newand improved coupler for pivotally interconnecting spaced well tools toprovide an articulated well tool train which is movable through curvedsection of tubing.

It is another object of the invention to provide a new and improvedcoupler which resists accidental release. I

It is another object of the invention to provide a new and improvedcoupler which is releasably connectable at each of its opposite endsinto a locking recess of a body.

It is another object of the invention to provide a coupler havinglocking fingers which do not require longitudinal movement for releaseand locking of the fingers thereby minimizing required end play betweenthe coupler and bodies coupled therewith.

It is another object of the invention to provide a coupler of thecharacter described including locking fingers having locking means atopposite ends thereof and which may remain in locked relationship in alocking recess of a body at one end while the locking fingers at theopposite end are compressed together for release of the coupler from alocking recess in a body.

It is still another object of the invention to provide a coupler of thecharacter described which includes somewhat loosely fitting parts andhaving a flow passage therethrough leaving ample flow space in a flowconductor for fluid flow through the conductor past the coupler forperforming various operational procedures in the handling of a tooltrain including one or more such couplers.

It is still a further object of the invention to provide a'coupler ofthecharacter described which is manually operable for coupling into andrelease from a locking recess of a body thereby eliminating the need forspecial tools in making up a tool train including one or more ofthecouplers.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide a coupler whichis capable of transmitting torque between spaced bodies interconnectedby the coupler so that the coupler is useful in self-orienting tooltrains which require rotation to achieve a desired angular position in21 HOW conductor.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a coupler of thecharacter described which includes a pair of locking fingers supportedalong opposite sides of a pair of spacers by a spring biasing thefingers and spacers to a longitudinally aligned relationship holding thelocking fingers parallel at coupling positions, and the spacers beinglongitudinally movable against the spring in either direction forreleasing the other end portions of the locking fingers to be compressedtogether to uncoupling positions.

his a further object of the invention to provide a form of coupler whichincludes a pair of spaced rotatable latch rings disposed on the lockingfingers and spaces and urged in opposite directions by the springagainst flanges on the locking fingers. the latch rings having internallocking flanges and release recesses so that at one position of rotationof each of the latch rings it holds the spacers against longitudinalmovement relative to the locking fingers while at another position ofrotation the spacers are released for longitudinal movement relative tothe locking fingers for compressing the locking fingers to uncouplingpositions.

Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be readilyapparent from reading the following description of a device constructedin accordance with the invention and by reference to the accompanyingdrawings thereof wherein:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal side view in elevation of one form of couplerembodying the invention with its locking fingers and spacers aligned forholding the locking fingers at parallel locking positions and showing incross section locking recesses in end portions of spaced bodiesinterconnected by the coupler;

FIG. 2 is an end view in elevation of the coupler of FIG. I removed fromthe interconnected spaced bodies;

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal side view in elevation showing the coupler ofFIG. 1 with the spacers shifted longitudinally for uncoupling one end ofthe coupler from one of the interconnected spaced bodies;

FIG. 4 is an end view in elevation of the upper end of the coupler shownin FIG. 3 illustrating particularly the compressed positions of thefingers of the uncoupled end of the coupler;

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal outside view in elevation of one of the lockingfingers of the coupler of FIG. 1 showing the surfaces of the lockingfinger viewed at to the view in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a view in section of the locking finger along the line 66 ofFIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal inside view in elevation of the locking fingerof FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a longitudinal side edge view in elevation of one of thespacers of the coupler of FIG. 1 as seen at a 90 angle to the view shownin FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 is a longitudinal inside view in elevation of the spacer of FIG.8 as seen at 90 to the right of the view shown in FIG.

FIG. 10 is a view in section of the spacer of FIGS. 8 and 9 as seenalong the line 10--10 of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a longitudinal view in section and elevation of another formof the coupler illustrating the coupling of spaced bodies by thecoupler;

FIG. 12 is a longitudinal view in section and elevation of the couplerillustrated in FIG. 11 as viewed 90 to the right of the view presentedin FIG. 1 1;

FIG. 13 is a longitudinal view in section and elevation of the couplerof FIGS. 11 and 12 illustrating the upper latch ring and the springcompressed downwardly with the spacers for compressing and uncouplingthe upper end of the coupler;

FIG; 14 is a view in section along the line l4-14 of FIG. 1 1;

FIG. 15 is a view-in section along the line l5 15 of FIG. 11;

FIG. 16 is a view in section along the line 16-16 of FIG. 13;

FIG. 17 is a view in section along the line 17-17 of FIG. 13; and

FIG. 18 is an exploded perspective view of the parts of the couplerillustratedin FIGS. l1-l7.

Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawings, a coupler A embodying the inventionis illustrated with its parts disposed at coupling positionsinterconnecting spaced bodies T and U which may comprise well tools inan articulated tool train movable in a flow conductor. For example, sucha tool train is illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3 of U.S. Pat. No. 3,419,074issued to Norman F. Brown, Dec. 31, I968. The coupler A fulfills thefunction discharged by the couplers 260 shown and described in the Brownpatent. Use of the coupler A as particularly discussed in the Brownpatent and also in U.S. Pat. No. 3,428,346, issued Feb. 18, 1969 to JohnV. Fredd, facilitates the assembly of an articulated tool train which isparticularly useful in remote well servicing operations especially inundersea, offshore wells where pump down procedures are employed andtool train capability of traversing curved flow conductor sections isessential to the well operations. Thus, for example, the spaced bodies Tand U may comprise the piston unit 200 and the upper sleeve shifter ofthe down-shift assembly 300, as shown in FIG. 1 of the Brown patent.

The coupler A includes a pair of identical locking fingers 30 oppositelydisposed along opposite sides of a pair of oppositely positionedidentical spacers 31. The locking fingers and spacers are held togetherin operative relationship by a coil spring 32 which serves a dualfunction of holding the locking fingers and spacers together and biasesthem toward a neutral, longitudinally aligned, coupling relationship, asillustrated in FIG. 1. The spacers are movable toward either end of thecoupler to a position represented in FIG. 3 at which end portions of thelocking fingers at the other end of the coupler are compressed togetherfor coupling and uncoupling such end of the coupler.

Each of the locking fingers has the general shape of a longitudinalcylindrical segment as evident from FIGS. 2, 4, and 6. The central bodyportion 33 of each locking finger is substantially a longitudinalhalf-cylinder section, FIG. 6, extending between a shoulder surface 34on an externalboss 35 near one end of the locking finger and anidentical shoulder surface 34a on an identical boss 35a near the otherend of the locking finger. The upper end portion of the locking fingers30, as shown in FIG. 1, above are provided with a locking recess definedby an upwardly and inwardly tapered surface portion 41 on the boss 35, acylindrical recess bottom surface portion 42 and a surface portion 43 ona locking boss or flange 44 of the locking finger tapered toward thecenter of the finger. The locking boss 44 has an upwardly and inwardlytapered surface 45. The opposite lower end portion of the locking fingeris identical with its various surface portions referred to by the samereference numerals with the subscript a added. The locking finger hasparallel flat opposite longitudinal side surfaces and an internallongitudinal cylindrical surface portion 52 running the length of thefinger between chamfered outwardly sloping end surfaces 53 and 53a. Thelocking finger is provided internally along opposite sides of thecylindrical surface 52 with identical locking surfaces 54 and 54adisposed along opposite end portions of the locking finger at oppositeends of a flat relieved inside surface 55 extending between sloping camsurfaces and 60a. The inside surfaces 60 and 60a with the relievedsurfaces 55 define an internal recess 61 along each inside edge surfacealong'opposite sides of the cylindrical surface 52 of each lockingfinger for receiving an end portion of the associated spacer when thespacers are misaligned longitudinally for locking and releasing thecoupler as in FIG. 3. Each of the locking fingers has identical endsurfaces 62 and 62a which lie in planes perpendicular to thelongitudinal axis of the finger.

Each of the spacers 31 has a central cylindrical segment portion 69having spaced spring retainer flanges 70 and 70a provided with shoulders71 and 71a, respectively. The central portion 69 and the spring retainerflanges are formed integral with an elongate, generally rectangular, bar72 having locking end portions 73 and 73a. The bar has identical taperedopposite ends 74 and 74a which may perform a camming function asdiscussed later in spreading the locking fingers from uncoupling tocoupling positions. The end portion 73 of the bar has opposite sidelocking surfaces 75 while the other end portion of the bar has identicalparallel locking surfaces 750, each pair of end locking side surfacesbeing positionable between adjacent end portions ofthe locking fingersfor holding the fingers outwardly at their locked coupling positions.The spacer has flat internal-surfaces 80, FIG. 9, disposed on oppositesides of the bar 72 which engage and slide along the side surfaces 50the locking fingers along each side of the coupler.

The locking fingers 30, spacers 31, and the spring 32 of the coupler Aare assembled in the relationship shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The twolocking fingers are held in parallel spaced relationship with theirinner surfaces 52 facing each other and the internal locking surfaces 54and 54a of the two locking fingers laterally and longitudinally aligned.The pair of spacers 31 are disposed along the side surfaces 50 of thelocking fingers as shown in FIG. 2. The opposite end portions 73 and 73aof the spacer bar on each of the spacers are aligned between the facinglocking surfaces 54 and 54a, respectively, of the locking fingers sothat the locking fingers are spaced apart in substantially parallelrelationship at which position they are held by the spacers so long asthe spacers remain centrally longitudinally aligned with the lockingfingers. The spring 32 is assembled around the locking fingers andspacers with the opposite ends of the spring being confined between theshoulder surfaces 34 and 34a of the locking fingers and 71 and 71a ofthe spacers. The spring holds the locking fingers and spacers togetherin the relationship illustrated and so long as no force is applied toeither the spacers or the fingers to longitudinally displace them fromeach other, the spring holds them in the longitudinal alignment of FIG.1 with the shoulder surfaces 71 and 71a on the spacers being generallyin alignment with the shoulder surfaces 34 and 34a, respectively, on thelocking fingers. With the end portions of the spacer bars at theopposite ends of the spacers being disposed between adjacent lockingfinger locking surfaces the locking fingers cannot be compressed together at either end. i

FIG. 3 illustrates the shifted positions of the spacers and spring ofthe coupler and compression of the end portions of the locking fingerfor either coupling or uncoupling either end of the coupler. Forexample, assuming that the upper end of the coupler is to be connectedwith the well tool, the spacers 31 are both grasped by their flanges 70and forced downwardly against the spring 32 compressing the spring andmoving the spacers downwardly relative to the locking fingers. Thespacers slide along the finger side surface 50. The spacers are readilymoved downwardly by grasping the flanges 71 with the thumb andforefinger of one hand of the operator while generally grasping thelocking fingers in the other hand in such a manner that the spacers maybe forced downwardly relative to the locking fingers. The spacers areboth forced downwardly at the same time as they both must be movedsimultaneously and in alignment with each other for the functioning ofthe coupler. As the spacers move downwardly the lower end portions 73aof the spacer bars are inserted farther into the space between thelocking surfaces 54a along the lower end portions of the locking fingerswhile the upper spacer bar end portions 73 are withdrawn downwardly frombetween the upper locking surfaces 54 of the locking fingers. When thetapered upper ends 74 of the spacers are below the locking fingersurfaces 60, the upper end portions of the locking fingers are squeezedtogether to the contacting relationship shown in FIG. 3 at which theupper ends of the adjacent locking surfaces 54 along the inside edges ofthe fingers are in engagement with each other. The recesses 61 along thelocking finger inside edges provide clearance space for the spacer endportion 73 to allow the upper ends of the locking fingers to cometogether. The distance between the locking finger flange surfaces 44 andthus the effective diameter of the upper end of the coupler issubstantially reduced as evident in FIGS. 3 and 4 so that the upper endportions of the locking fingers may be inserted into the locking recessof the well tool T past its locking flange 91. It will be seen that whenthe upper end portions of the locking fingers are brought together intocontact, the lower ends of the fingers which are illustrated in FIG. 3within the locking recess of the lower tool U are spread very slightlyapart due to the lever action of the fingers about their points-ofcontact with the lower spacer bar portions 731; of the spacers. It willalso be observed that the locking fingers remain in longitudinalalignment with each other, and since they are not displacedlongitudinally from each other and their lower ends are only slightlyaffected by the compression of their upper ends, the couplingrelationship of the lower end of the coupler. with the tool U is notaffected by the manipulation of the upper end when coupling oruncoupling it.

The compressed end portion of the coupler is inserted into the lockingrecess 90 until the locking flange surfaces 43 on the locking fingersare past the locking flange 91 of the tool. The spacers are thenreleased allowing the spring to expand with the upper end of the springbearing against the spacer shoulder surfaces 71 lifting the spacersrelative to the locking fingers. The tapered upper ends 74 of the spacerbars engage the internal cam surfaces 60 of the locking fingersspreading the upper end portions of the fingers apart until they arespaced to receive the upper end portions 73 of the spacer bars. Thespring lifts the spacers back to the aligned position shown in FIG. 1 sothat the locking fingers are returned to their substantially parallelcoupling relationship at which neither end of the coupler can becompressed due to the presence of the end portions of the spacer barsbetween the internal locking surfaces of the locking fingers at bothends of the coupler. The locking finger surfaces 44 with the spacerbetween and holding the finger end portions apart cannot be compressedtogether sufficiently to clear the locking flange 91 at the mouth of thelocking recess 90 in the tool T so that the upper end portion of thecoupler is locked with the tool as shown in FIG. 1. Similarly, the lowerend of the coupler is coupled with the tool U by insertion of the lowerend portions of the locking fingers into the locking recess 92. Thespacers of the coupler are lifted upwardly against the spring 32compressing the spring with the spacer flanges 70a until the lower endportions 73a of the spacer bars are withdrawn from between the lockingsurfaces 54a along the lower end portions of the locking fingers so thatthe lower locking finger end portions are compressed together allowingthe locking flanges on the fingers to be inserted into the lockingrecess of the tool.

When the tools T and U are coupled as shown in FIG. 1 by the coupler Asubstantial forces may be applied either intension or compressionbetween the tools T and U and the tools may be bent or pivotedsubstantially relative to each other while remaining connected togetherby the coupler and without any tendency to accidentally disengage thecoupler from either of the tools. The only way in which the coupler isdisengageable from either of the locking recesses of the tools is bylongitudinal movement of the pair of spacers to either of their endpositions so that the locking fingers of the coupler may be fullycompressed together at the opposite end of the coupler. Since only thespacers need be displaced longitudinally for coupling or uncoupling thecoupler, the locking fingers themselves remain in longitudinal alignmentso that only minimum length locking recesses, such as the recesses 90and 92 in the tools T and U, are required to accommodate the lockingflange portions of the locking fingers of the coupler. Either end of thecoupler may be manipulated for coupling or uncoupling without disturbingthe relationship at the other end of the coupler. When the coupler isconnected between tools such as T and U in FIG. 1, either tension orcompressive forces between the tools only serve to squeeze the couplerfinger end portions more tightly against the intervening end portions ofthe spacers. For example, in FIG. 1, a force tending to lift the tool Trelative to tool U urges the tapered locking boss surface portions 43aof the locking fingers against the tapered surface 93a of the flange 93on the tool U camming the locking fingers toward each other more tightlyengaging the inner locking surfaces 540 of the fingers against the sidesurfaces 75a of the spacers, the spacers preventing the fingers frombeing squeezed together sufficientlyto withdraw the coupler from thelocking recess of the tool U. The same action, of course, occurs at theupper end of the coupler with the locking flange 91 of the tool T.Similarly, a compressive force tending to push the tool T downwardlytoward the tool U forces the downwardly and inwardly tapered surfaces41a on the coupler locking fingers against the upper end of the tool Ualso camming the locking finger end portions inwardly more tightlyagainst the spacer end portions 730. The central flow passage 95 alongthe longitudinal centerline of the coupler defined by the lockingfingers and spacer as evident in FIG. 2 allows free flow of fluidthrough the coupler so that if fluid is pumped along the tool string andthe tools T and U are designed to conduct a stream of fluid, the streammay readily pass along the tool train through the coupler. The coupleris simple, strong, and includes no parts which are secured by threads orother similar forms of connection which are likely to become disengagedduring the use of the coupler under severe downhole operatingconditions. The coupler may be manually quickly coupled and released ateither of its ends.

Another form of coupler B embodying the invention is illustrated inFIGS. 11-18. The coupler B consists of a pair of identical lockingfingers 100 supported in longitudinal opposed relationship alongopposite edges of a pair of elongate oppositely disposed spacers 101.The locking fingers and spacers are held together by a coil spring 102which bears at its opposite ends against identical split latch rings 103encircling the locking fingers and spacers and each rotatable between aposition for locking the spacers against movement relative to thelocking fingers and a position for releasing the spacers for movementrelative to the locking fingers.

Each of the locking fingers includes an elongate body 104 in the form ofa longitudinal cylindrical segment having identical external integralspaced arcuate flanges 105 and 105a. The flanges 105 and 105a havefacing shoulder surfaces and 110a, respectively, which lie in planesperpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the finger and which functionas end stops for the latch rings 103 and 103a. Each of the flanges 105and 105a has parallel side edges designated by the reference numeral 111on the flange 105 and 111a on the flange 1050. The opposite ends of thelocking finger body 104 are provided with the external locking bosses112 and 112a which are spaced on the body from the flanges 105 and 105a,respectively. The locking boss 112 is defined by a spherical surfaceportion 113 facing the flange 105 and joining a cylindrical surfaceportion 114 having an axis common with the axis of the locking fingerbody andan end spherical surface portion 115. The locking boss 112 hasan open ended longitudinal slot which extends radially through theentire thickness of the locking boss end of the finger and is extendedsymmetrically along the longitudinal axis of the finger extendinglongitudinally in the finger into the spherical surface 113. The lockingboss also has parallel side edge surface portions 121 which lie in thesame planes as the side surfaces 111 and 1 11a on the flanges 105 and1050. The locking boss 112a along the other end of the locking fingerhas identical surface features and other characteristics as the lockingboss 112 and which are referred to by the same reference numerals withthe suffix a added. The inner side of the locking fingers has acylindrical internal surface portion between longitudinal spaced insideedges 131 which extend between cam surfaces 132 and 132a which slopeinwardly toward the opposite ends of the locking finger. The lockingfingers have inside locking surface edge portions 133 along the innerface of the locking boss 112 and 133a along the inner face of thelocking boss 1120. The locking surfaces 133 and 1330 all lie in a commonplane which is parallel to and displaced inwardly from the plane of theinside edge surfaces 131. The longitudinal surfaces 131 with the slopingcam surface 132 and 132a define an internal longitudinal recess alongeach longitudinal inside edge of each of the locking fingers to providespace to receive portions of the spacers 101 between the locking fingerswhen the spacers are shifted longitudinally out of alignment with thefinger-locking surfaces at either end of the coupler to allow thecoupler fingers to be squeezed together at that end for coupling anduncoupling. The combined space between the oppositely positioned fingersprovided by the recesses along adjacent inside edges of the fingers eachaccommodate the necessary portion of the spacer between such adjacentedges for'the fingers to be fully compressed together at either end ofthe coupler when the spacers are shifted toward the other end of thecoupler.

The spacers 101 each comprise an elongate rectangular spacer bar formedintegral with identical longitudinal flange end portions 141 and 141aspaced on opposite ends of a central flange portion 142. The spacingbetween the flange portions 141 and 142 defines a latch ring slot 143for the latch ring 103 and the spacing between the flange portions 141aand 142 defines an identical latch ring slot 143a for the latch ring103a. As particularly evident in the left spacer 101 of FIG. 18, thelateral opposite ends of the slots 143 and 143a are outwardly divergentthereby eliminating abrupt corner edges to provide for smoother rotationof the latch rings between their spacer latching and spacer releasingpositions. The inner faces of the flange portions 141 and 1410 and 142of the spacers provide bearing surface portions as designated by thereference numeral 144 along the right spacer in FIG. 18 which bearingsurfaces are perpendicular to the adjacent side edges 145 of the spacerbar 140 so that the spacers readily slide along the side edge surfacesof the locking fingers. For example, the inside flange surfaces 144along one side of each spacer engage and slide along the side facesurfaces 111, 1 11a 121, and 1210 of one of the locking finger while thesurfaces 144 along the other side of the spacer engage and slide alongthe corresponding surfaces of the other locking finger. The oppositeends of the spacers have tapered surfaces at and 1500 which facilitatesmooth longitudinal movement of the spacers and provide cam surfaceswhich coact with the internal cam surfaces 132 and 132a of the fingersfor spreading the fingers when returning the spacers toward an end ofthe coupler to shift the locking bosses at that end of the coupler fromtheir compressed back to their coupling positions. For example, thetapered surfaces 150 at the upper ends of the spacers in FIGS. 13 and 18engage the cam surfaces 132 along the inside edges of the lockingfingers on opposite sides of the spacers forcing the locking finger endsapart to return them from compressed to spaced apart coupling positions.

The split latch ring 103 is counterbored at 160 providing an internalshoulder surface 161 so that the upper end portion of the spring 102 asviewed in FIG. 18 is received within the latch ring with the upper endof the spring bearing against the shoulder surface 161 within the latchring. The upper face of the latch ring 103 is counterbored at 162 on adiameter slightly larger than the effective diameter between the outsidecylindrical surface portions of the opposed spacers as seen in FIG. 17.By such proportioning of the counterbore 162, the lower ends of thespacer flange portions 141 are received within the counterbore 162 whenthe latch ring 103 is oriented in the position shown in FIG. 18 in theassembled relationship of the coupler parts as represented in FIGS. 11and 12. The counterbores provide an internal annular flange 163 which isreceived in the slots 143 of the spacers when the latch ring oriented inthe position of rotation represented in FIG. 18 thereby holding thespacers against movement relative to the latch ring. The latch ring isslotted or split at 164 and has a recess 165 on the opposite side of thering 180 from the slot 164 extending through the thickness of the ringlongitudinally in its internal annular flange 163. The depth of therecess 165 measured radially of the ring is sufficient that in theassembled relationship of the parts when the ring is aligned with thespacer as in FIG. 17, the spacer flange section 142 may movelongitudinally through the ring. Similarly, the slot 164 allows thefront spacer to move through the ring along the locking fingers. Theposition of the latch .ring in FIG. 17 is 90 removed from the positionof the ring represented in FIG. 18. The top or outside face of the latchring 103 in its position in FIG. 18 has a transverse key slot defined bythe top face recesses 170 and 171 on opposite sides of the top face ofthe ring symmetrical with the slot 164 and the recess 165, respectively.The key slot defined by the recesses 170 and 171 functions to lock thelatch ring against rotation when the ring is oriented as in FIG. 18. Thelocking finger flange 105 of the righthand finger rests in the recess171 while similarly the flange 105 on the left-hand locking fingerextends within the recess 170 on the opposite side of the latch ring.The flange surface 110 on the right-hand finger flange 105 rests againstthe top face of the latch ring 103 within the recess 172 so that theedge surfaces 173 on each side of the recess engage the side edges 111of the locking finger flange 105 precluding rotation of the latch ringrelative to the locking finger. Identically, on the other side of thering the recess edges 171 engage the side faces 1 11 of the flange 105of the other locking finger. The inner bore of the latch ring, that isthe opening through its internal flange portion 163, is of a diameterslightly larger than the diameter of the circle defined by theoppositely positioned locking fingers along the outside surface oftheirbody portions 104 between the flanges 105 and 105a as evident in FIG. sothat the latch ring is free to move longitudinally along the centralbody portions of the locking fingers in their assembled relationship forshifting the latch rings and the spacers between the positions requiredfor coupling and uncoupling either end of the coupler. The other latchring 103a is identical to the latch ring 103 with its various featuresreferred to by the same reference numerals with the suffix a added.

The coupler B is useful in the same manner as the coupler A forinterconnecting well tools such as the tools X and Y represented FIGS.11-13 to form a tool train for movement in a flow conductor. The couplerB is especially useful under conditions where it is desired to orientthe tool train at a par ticular position of rotation in a flow conductorand transmission of torque between the tools X and Y is required to keepthe tools X and Y in the same relative radial positions with respect toeach other as tool train is rotated in the flow conductor.

The tool X is provided with an open ended locking recess 180 openingthrough the end of the tool body through an internal annular lockingflange 181. A pair of diametrically opposed lock pins 182 are pressfitted along their outer end portions through the tool housing inwardlyof its locking flange 181 with the inward end portions 183 of the lockpins projecting into the locking recess 180. Similarly, the lower tool Yhas an open ended locking recess 184 opening into the upper end of thetool through a locking flange 185. A pair of diametrically opposed lockpins 190 are press fitted through the wall of the tool housing into thelocking recess 184 with the inward end portions 191 of the pinsprojecting into the locking recess. FIGS. 11 and 12 show the coupler Binterconnecting the tools X and Y with the lock pins 182 of the tool Xreceived within the slots in the locking fingers of the coupler and theinward end portion 191 of the lock pins 190 in the tool Y receivedwithin the slots 120:: at the lower end of the coupler locking fingers.Thus, torque is transmittable from the tool X through its pins 182 tothe coupler to rotate the coupler or hold it relative to the tool X,while similarly the coupler is held against rotation relative to thetool Y by the interconnection between the lock pins 190 and the coupler.The tools X and Y and the coupler B remain at the same positions ofrotation so long as they are interconnected as viewed in FIGS. 11 and12. FIG. 13 represents the coupling or uncoupling of the upper end ofthe coupler with the tool X.

Referring to FIGS. 11 and 12, in the assembled relationship of the partsof the coupler B, the locking fingers 100 are parallel and inlongitudinal alignment with each other with inside surfaces includingthe cylindrical surfaces and the flat edge surfaces 131 and 133 and 133afacing each other in substantially parallel spaced relationship. Alongthe opposite longitudinal sides of the locking fingers the spacers 101are disposed in parallel relationship to each other with their spacerbars extending between the inside edges 131, 133, and 133a of thelocking fingers. At the neutral coupling positions of the partsrepresented in FIGS. 11 and 12, the locking surfaces 133 and 133a of oneof the locking fingers of the coupler engage opposite end portions ofthe some side edges of the spacer bars 140, while the locking surfaces133 and 133a of the other locking finger engage opposite end portions ofthe other side edges 145 of the spacers so that the locking fingers areheld along their entire lengths by the spacer bars in parallel spacedrelationship with each other and with the spacer bar portions interposedbetween the locking fingers. The locking fingers cannot be compressedinwardly at either end from the parallel spaced positions at which theyare held by the spacer bars, such relationship being particularlyevident in FIG. 1 1.

The latch rings 103 and 103a are assembled around the central portionsof the locking finger bodies 104 and the flange sections 142 of thespacers. The rings are urged to their longitudinally spaced endpositions against the flanges 105 and 105a by the spring 102. The upperend of the spring 102 is received within the counterbore of the latchring 103 with the upper end of the spring bearing against the internalflange surface 161 of the ring urging the ring upwardly against shouldersurfaces 110 of the flanges 105 on the locking fingers. The latch ring103 is aligned as represented in FIG. 18 and FIG. 11 so that the flange105 of the right-hand locking finger in the drawings is received in therecess portion 172 of the key slot across the top surface of the latchring, and similarly, the flange 105 of the left-hand locking finger fitsin the key slot recess portion 170 of the latch ring whereby the latchring cannot rotate relative to the locking fingers. The portions of theflange 163 on the opposite sides of the slot 164 and recess 165 passthrough the spacer recesses 143 of the spacers 101 holding the spaceragainst movement relative to the latch ring. Thus, with the latch ring103 bearing against the upper flange faces 110 of the locking fingerflanges 105 and the spacers held by the latch ring flange 163 againstmovement, the spacers cannot move upwardly beyond the positionillustrated in FIG. 11. The lower latch ring 103a is urged by the lowerend of the spring 102 against the flange faces 110a of the flanges 1050.The lower end of the spring bears against the flange surface 161 withinthe lower latch ring. The lower latch ring fits partially over theflanges 105a with the flange 1050 on the right-hand locking finger beingreceived in the key slot portion 170 in the bottom face of the latchring and the flange 105a on the left-hand locking finger being receivedin the key slot portion 172 in the bottom face of the latch ring so thatthe lower latch ring also is not rotatable relative to the lockingfingers. The flange portions 1630 in the lower latch ring extend throughthe recesses 143a of the spacers thereby precluding relative movementbetween the spacers and the lower latch ring. The lower face of thelower latch ring is engaged with the shoulder surfaces 110a of the lowerlocking finger flanges 105a and thus the spacers cannot move downwardlyrelative to the locking fingers. With the spacers being held againstupward movement by engagement with the upper latch ring 103 and againstdownward movement by the lower latch ring 103a and the opposite endportions of the spacer bar 140 of each spacer disposed between thelocking surfaces 133 within the upper ends of the locking fingers andthe locking surfaces 133a within the lower ends of the locking fingers,the locking fingers are held in parallel spaced relationship and cannotbe pressed inwardly at either end.

Thus, with the coupler connected with the tools X and Y, FIGS. 11 and12, and the spacer bars locked against longitudinal movement preventingcompression of either end of the coupler fingers, the coupler provides apivotal connection with each of the well tools. The locking bosses 112at the upper end of the coupler have an effective diameter larger thanthe internal diameter of the opening through the locking flange 181 inthe upper well tool so that the locking flanges are confined within thelocking recess 180 of the tool X. Similarly, the lower locking bosses112a are confined within the lower locking recess 184 of the lower toolY. The pins 182 and 190 prevent rotation of the coupler relative to thetools X and Y, respectively, while permitting pivotal movement betweenthe coupler and the respective tools. For example, the pins 182 arereceived within the slots 120 at the upper end of the coupler along aline coincident with the pivot point of the upper end of the couplerwithin the tool locking recess so that pivotal movement in any directionis permitted between the coupler and the tool. The elongated slots 120allow the coupler axis to change relative to the axis of the lockingpins 182 within the limits permitted by the space between the bodyportionsof the locking fingers and the opening through the lockingflange 181 around the locking recess 180 in addition to the couplerpivoting on the axis of the pins providing a torque transmittinguniversal joint between each end of the coupler and the tools connectedto it. The compressive or ten sion forces on either end of the couplersimply tends to urge the coupler finger end portions more tightlyagainst the intervening spacer bars which are holding them in theirparallel coupling relationship.

By manipulation ofthe latch rings 103 and 103a the spacers 101 may bereleased for movement in either direction relative to the lockingfingers so that the locking fingers at the other end of the coupler maybe squeezed together for coupling and uncoupling. Compression of thelocking fingers along the upper end of the coupler is shown in FIG. 13to permit the upper end of the coupler to be inserted into or withdrawnfrom the locking recess 180 of the tool X. To shift the coupler from therelationship shown in FIG. 11 to that of FIG. 13 so that the lockingbosses 112 at the upper end of the coupler may be squeezed together, thelatch ring 103a is revolved 90 in a clockwise direction as viewed fromabove the coupler so that it is shifted to the position represented inFIG. 17. The latch ring 1030 is released for rotation by lifting it ashort distance against the spring 102 until the upper portions of thelocking finger flanges 105a are withdrawn from the lower face key slotrecesses 170 and 172 of the latch ring. When the lower latch ring isfree to turn, it is manually revolved 90 to the position shown in FIGS.17 and 13 with the slots 164a and the recess 165a being aligned with theoppositely disposed spacers 101 and the latch ring flange sections 163being revolved out of alignment with the spacer slots 143a so that thespacers are not held against movement relative to the lower latch ring.The latch ring slot 164a and recess 165a provide space in the ring 103ato allow the spacers to move longitudinally relative to the latch ring.The upper latch ring 103 remains engaged with the spacers by its flangeportions 163 disposed through the upper spacer slots 143 so that theupper latch ring is forced downwardly against the spring with the latchring flange sections 163 engaging the top end edges of the centralspacer flange portions 142 forcing both of the spacers downwardlyrelative to the locking fingers. The upper latch ring is moveddownwardly until it is at substantially the position shown in FIG. 13 atwhich the upper ends 150 of the spacers are below the upper internallocking surfaces 133 of the locking finger. The lower ends of thespacers simply move farther downwardly between the lower locking fingersurfaces 1330 as illustrated. When the upper ends of the spacers movebelow the cam surfaces 132, the upper ends of the locking fingers alongthe bosses 112 are free to be compressed inwardly together as shown inFIG. 13. The upper ends of the locking surfaces 133 of both of thelocking fingers are brought together thereby reducing the effectivediameter of the upper end portion of the coupler along the lockingbosses 112 to less than the diameter of the retainer flange 181 of thelocking recess 180 of the tool X so that the upper end of the couplermay be introduced into or removed from the tool-locking recess. Inintroducing it into the recess, the slots of the locking fingers arealigned with the pins 182 so that when the coupler is inserted into therecess, the pin portions 183 are received in the slots 120. In couplingthe fingers into the locking recess, the boss portions 112 are inserteduntil the spherical surface portion 113 on the fingers is above thelocking flange 181. The upper latch ring 103 is then released allowingthe spring 102 to expand forcing the latch ring upwardly with its flangeportions 163 engaging the lower ends of the flange portion 141 on thespacers lifting the spacers upwardly relative to the fingers. Thetapered upper ends of the spacers engage the cam surfaces 132 within thelocking bosses of the locking fingers camming the fingers back apartuntil they are sufficiently spaced to receive the bar portions of thespacers between the locking surfaces 133 within the upper ends of thelocking fingers. The latch ring and the spacers are lifted by the springuntil the upper face of the latch ring engages the lower faces 110 onthe locking finger flanges 105 with the flanges 105 being again receivedwithin the key slot portions 170 and 172 of the ring holding the latchring against rotation relative to the locking fingers and limitingfurther upward movement of the spacers. The lower latch ring 1030 isrotated back 90 until its key slot recess portions 170a and 172a areagain aligned with and receive the locking finger flanges 105a thusreturning the lower latch ring to its locked position and holding thespacers against downward movement relative to the locking fingers.

When coupling or uncoupling of the lower end of the coupler is desired,the upper latch ring 103 is rotated 90 to align its slot 164 and recesswith the spacers thereby releasing the spacers for upward movementrelative to the locking fingers. The lower latch ring is lifted againstthe spring 102 lifting the spacers from between the lower lockingsurfaces 133a of the locking fingers until the lower end 1500 of thespacers are above the cam surfaces 132a within the locking fingers sothat the lower ends of the locking fingers are compressible togetheruntil the surfaces 133a of the fingers engage each other reducing theeffective diameter of the lower end of the couplersufficiently to permitits insertion into or withdrawal from the locking recess 184 of thelower tool Y. Once the locking fingers in their parallel couplingrelationship. The

upper latch ring is rotated 90 back to a locked position on the lockingfingers.

While the rotation of the latch rings has been described in terms of aparticular direction and the orientation of the rings has beenillustrated with the slot 164 of the upper ring facing in one directionand the slot 164a of the lower ring facing in the opposite directionwhen the spacers are locked against movement in either direction, it isto be understood that the functional symmetry of the latch rings permitsthem .to be either aligned with each other or opposite to each otherwithout affecting the operation of the coupler. ln shifting the latchrings through 90 rotation for moving them from either a release or alatch position to the opposite position, they may be moved in eitherdirection 90.

As with the coupler A, the coupler B is manipulated between coupling anduncoupling conditions by movement of only its spacers 101 withoutaffecting the longitudinal aligned relationship of its locking fingers100 so that only minimum tolerance is required in the locking recessesof the tools with which the coupler is connected. The latch rings arereadily manipulated by hand thereby eliminating the need for specialtools for operation of the coupler. The locking feature of the latchrings whereby they are held against rotation relative to the lockingfingers when the fingers are in their coupling position minimizes anytendency toward accidental release of the coupler. The location of thelatch rings between the flanges of the locking fingers sufficientlyremoves them from the end portions of the coupler to prevent accidentalcontact between the rings and whatever tool is connected with thecoupler so that only positive longitudinal and rotational movement ofthe latch rings allows the coupler to be operated for either coupling oruncoupling at either end. Complete assembly and disassembly of thecoupler is readily effected by the use of the split latch ringspermitting them to be assembled on and removed from the locking fingersand couplers utilizing the slots 164 and 164a in the latch rings. Inboth assembly and disassembly of the coupler, the latch rings may bealigned with each other with their slots and recesses 164, 165, 164a,and 165a being aligned with the spacers so that the spacers may slideinto position through the latch rings along side the edges of thelocking fingers from either end of the aligned locking fingers. Assemblyand disassembly may be accomplished generally without special tools andat most a simple tool such as a screwdriver is required.

It will be seen that the coupler B provides means for connecting a trainof spaced bodies such as well tools in an articulated manner givingmaximum flexibility and thus capability of traversing curved sections offlow conductors; it may be connected at either end without affecting theopposite end of the coupler; and it may be utilized where transmissionof torque between connected tools is desired for orientation and similarpurposes.

Theforegoing description of the invention is explanatory only andchanges and details of the construction illustrated may be made by thoseskilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent IS.

1. A coupler for interconnection of spaced bodies comprising: aplurality of locking members supported together for movement alongopposite end portions between locking and release positions; and spacermeans disposed for movement between a first position for holding saidlocking members in locking positions and other positions for releasingsaid locking members for movement to nonlocking positions along one endportion of said coupler while retaining said locking members in lockingpositions along an opposite end portion of said coupler.

2. A coupler in accordance with claim I wherein said locking membershave locking surfaces engageable by said spacer means for holding saidlocking members in spaced locking relation at said first position ofsaid spacer means when said spacer means is disposed between saidlocking surfaces and said locking surfaces being coengageable at one endof said coupler upon movement of said spacer means to one of said otherpositions at which said spacer means is removed from between saidlocking surfaces at said end of said coupler.

3. A coupler as defined in claim 2 wherein said locking members compriselocking fingers longitudinally aligned with each other at both lockingand unlocking relationships and said spacer means comprises meanslongitudinally movable along said locking fingers between said lockingsurfaces on said locking fingers between said first position at whichsaid spacer is disposed between said locking surfaces of said lockingfingers along opposite end portions of said coupler and said otherpositions at which said spacer member is spaced longitudinally from saidlocking surfaces at one end of said coupler to release said lockingfingers along said end of said coupler for movement toward each other toa nonlocking relationship.

4. A coupler in accordance with claim 3 including spring meansassociated with said locking fingers and said spacer means biasing saidspacer means toward said one position for holding said locking membersin locking relationship and compressible for movement of said spacermeans to said other positions.

5. A coupler in accordance with claim 4 including latch meansoperatively associated with said spacer means and movable between afirst position for holding said spacer means against movement relativeto said locking fingers and a second position for releasing said spacermeans for movement relative to said locking fingers.

6. A coupler for interconnecting spaced bodies comprising: elongatelocking fingers supported in longitudinal alignment spaced for lateralmovement at each end thereof between a first spaced locking relationshipand a second engaging release relationship; and an elongate spacerdisposed between said locking members and movable between a.firstcentral position holding said fingers at each end of said coupler atsaid first spaced locking relationship and end positions toward eitherend of said locking fingers for releasing said fingers for movementtoward each other at the other end of said fingers while holding saidfingers in spaced locking relationship at the end toward which saidspacer is moved.

7. A coupler in accordance with claim 6 including spring meansassociated with said locking fingers and said spacer biasing said spacertoward said first position.

8. Acoupler in accordance with claim 7 including latch ring meansoperatively associated with said spacer for holding said spacer at saidfirst position at one position of rotation of said latch ring and beingrotatable to a second position of rotation for releasing said spacer forlongitudinal movement to said end position.

9. A coupler in accordance with claim 8 wherein said latch ring meanscomprises a first latch ring for locking said spacer against movementtoward a first end of said locking fingers and a second latch ring forlocking said spacer against movement toward a second end of said lockingfingers, said latch rings being engageable with said spring and biasedin opposite directions by said spring.

10. A coupler for interconnection of spaced bodies comprising: a pair ofelongate locking fingers supported in substantially longitudinalalignment with each other, said locking fingers each having externallocking bosses along opposite end portions thereof and a pair ofexternal spring retainer flanges spaced from each other and spaced fromsaid locking bosses, said locking fingers being further provided withinside locking surfaces along the opposite ends thereof, said lockingsurfaces at corresponding ends of said locking fingers being disposed inparallel spaced relationship when maintaining said locking bosses inlocking relationship and movable toward each other to position thelocking bosses along said ends in nonlocking released relationship; apair of elongate spacers oppositely disposed from each other and alongopposite sides of said locking fingers for longitudinal movementrelative to said locking fingers from a central position at which endportions of said spacers are disposed between said locking surfaces ofsaid locking fingers at both ends of said coupler holding said lockingfinger end portions and the locking bosses thereon in substantiallyparallel spaced locking relationship and said spacers being movabletoward either end of said coupler withdrawing the other ends of saidspacers from between the locking finger locking surfaces at the otherend of said coupler thereby releasing said fingers for movement towardeach other along such other end of said coupler to an uncouplingrelationship of said locking bosses at said end of said coupler; aspring disposed around said locking fingers and said spacers betweensaid spring retainer flanges on said locking fingers; and meansassociated with said spacers interconnecting said spacers and saidspring biasing said spacers to said central position relative to saidlocking fingers for holding both ends of said locking fingers inparallel spaced locking relationship.

1 l. A coupler in accordance with claim wherein each of said spacers hasspaced external spring retainer flanges positioned on said spacers inalignment with said spring retainer flanges on said locking fingers whensaid spacers are centrally disposed along said locking fingers, saidspring being confined between said spacer flanges.

12. A coupler in accordance with claim 10 including a pair of latchrings disposed around said locking fingers and spacers and spaced onsaid fingers and spacers at opposite ends of and engaged with saidspring, one of said latch rings being biased toward the spring'flangeson said locking fingers toward one end of said locking fingers and theother of said latch rings being biased toward the spring flanges towardthe other end of said locking fingers, each of said latch rings beingrotatable between a first locking position for holding said spacersagainst movement in the direction of the end of said locking fingersadjacent to said latch ring and movable to a second position of rotationfor releasing said spacers for movement toward said adjacent end of saidlocking fingers.

l3.'A coupler in accordance with claim 12 wherein each of the said latchrings has a laterally extending key slot defining recesses toward eachside of each latch ring on the side of said ring facing the springflanges on the locking fingers toward which said ring is biased, saidkey slot being adapted to receive said spring flanges at said firstposition of each of said latch rings for releasably locking each of saidlatch rings against rotation relative to said locking fingers andspacers, said latch rings having internal recesses toward opposite sidesof said rings extending in a direction of the axis of each of said ringsfor receiving said spacers whereby said spacers are released formovement relative to each of said rings when each of said rings isrotated to said second position, each of said rings having internallocking flanges, and each of said spacers having locking recesses forreceiving one of said locking flanges in said latch rings for holdingsaid spacers against movement relative to said latch rings when saidlatch rings are at said first positions of rotation on said coupler.

14. A coupler in accordance with claim 13 wherein each of said lockingfingers has a longitudinal slot opening through the locking boss at eachend of said finger for receiving a pin supported from the spaced bodywith which said end of said coupler is connected whereby torque istransmitted between said coupler and said spaced body while said coupleris pivotally connected with said spaced body.

15. A coupler in accordance with claim 10 wherein each of said lockingfingers has internal longitudinally extending recesses for receiving anend portion of said spacers when said spacers are moved against saidspring toward either end of said coupler whereby the end portion of saidspacers retracted from between the locking surfaces at one end of saidcoupler is received within said internal longitudinal locking fingerrecesses thereby permitting said locking surfaces of said fingers atsaid end of said coupler to be moved closer together for releasing saidend of said coupler for coupling and uncoupling said end of saidcoupler.

16. A coupler in accordance with claim 15 wherein said spacers each havelongitudinal flange means engageable with corresponding side surfaces ofthe locking fingers along opposite sides of each of said spacers wherebysaid spacers are movable along said locking finger side surfaces betweenlocking and release positions of said spacers.

17. A coupler in accordance with claim 13 wherein each of said spacersis provided with longitudinally spaced external laterally extendinglocking recesses positioned along each of said spacers to receive saidinternal locking flanges of said latch rings whereby when said spacersare at neutral locking positions along said locking fingers and saidlatch rings are at said first positions of rotation the locking flangesof one of said latch rings is received in the locking recesses of saidspacers toward one end of said coupler and the locking flanges of theother of said latch rings are received in the other locking recesses ofsaid spacers toward the other end of said coupler whereby said spacersare locked by said latch rings against movement in either directionrelative to said locking fingers and rotation of either of said latchrings to said second position of said latch rings releases said spacerswhereby movement of the other of said latch rings toward said rotatedlatch ring displaces said spacers along said locking fingers toward saidrotated latch ring for releasing the locking bosses at the end of saidcoupler away from which said spacers are moved for coupling anduncoupling at said end.

1. A coupler for interconnection of spaced bodies comprising: aplurality of locking members supported together for movement alongopposite end portions between locking and release positions; and spacermeans disposed for movement between a first position for holding saidlocking members in locking positions and other positions for releasingsaid locking members for movement to nonlocking positions along one endportion of said coupler while retaining said locking members in lockingpositions along an opposite end portion of said coupler.
 2. A coupler inaccordance with claim 1 wherein said locking members have lockingsurfaces engageable by said spacer means for holding said lockingmembers in spaced locking relation at said first position of said spacermeans when said spacer means is disposed between said locking surfacesand said locking surfaces being coengageable at one end of said couplerupon movement of said spacer means to one of said other positions atwhich said spacer means is removed from between said locking surfaces atsaid end of said coupler.
 3. A coupler as defined in claim 2 whereinsaid locking members comprise locking fingers longitudinally alignedwith each other at both locking and unlocking relationships and saidspacer means comprises means longitudinally movable along said lockingfingers between said locking surfaces on said locking fingers betweensaid first position at which said spacer is disposed between saidlocking surfaces of said locking fingers along opposite end portions ofsaid coupler and said other positions at which said spacer member isspaced longitudinally from said locking surfaces at one end of saidcoupler to release said locking fingers along said end of said couplerfor movement toward each other to a nonlocking relationship.
 4. Acoupler in accordance with claim 3 including spring means associatedwith said locking fingers and said spacer means biasing said spacermeans toward said one position for holding said lOcking members inlocking relationship and compressible for movement of said spacer meansto said other positions.
 5. A coupler in accordance with claim 4including latch means operatively associated with said spacer means andmovable between a first position for holding said spacer means againstmovement relative to said locking fingers and a second position forreleasing said spacer means for movement relative to said lockingfingers.
 6. A coupler for interconnecting spaced bodies comprising:elongate locking fingers supported in longitudinal alignment spaced forlateral movement at each end thereof between a first spaced lockingrelationship and a second engaging release relationship; and an elongatespacer disposed between said locking members and movable between a firstcentral position holding said fingers at each end of said coupler atsaid first spaced locking relationship and end positions toward eitherend of said locking fingers for releasing said fingers for movementtoward each other at the other end of said fingers while holding saidfingers in spaced locking relationship at the end toward which saidspacer is moved.
 7. A coupler in accordance with claim 6 includingspring means associated with said locking fingers and said spacerbiasing said spacer toward said first position.
 8. A coupler inaccordance with claim 7 including latch ring means operativelyassociated with said spacer for holding said spacer at said firstposition at one position of rotation of said latch ring and beingrotatable to a second position of rotation for releasing said spacer forlongitudinal movement to said end position.
 9. A coupler in accordancewith claim 8 wherein said latch ring means comprises a first latch ringfor locking said spacer against movement toward a first end of saidlocking fingers and a second latch ring for locking said spacer againstmovement toward a second end of said locking fingers, said latch ringsbeing engageable with said spring and biased in opposite directions bysaid spring.
 10. A coupler for interconnection of spaced bodiescomprising: a pair of elongate locking fingers supported insubstantially longitudinal alignment with each other, said lockingfingers each having external locking bosses along opposite end portionsthereof and a pair of external spring retainer flanges spaced from eachother and spaced from said locking bosses, said locking fingers beingfurther provided with inside locking surfaces along the opposite endsthereof, said locking surfaces at corresponding ends of said lockingfingers being disposed in parallel spaced relationship when maintainingsaid locking bosses in locking relationship and movable toward eachother to position the locking bosses along said ends in nonlockingreleased relationship; a pair of elongate spacers oppositely disposedfrom each other and along opposite sides of said locking fingers forlongitudinal movement relative to said locking fingers from a centralposition at which end portions of said spacers are disposed between saidlocking surfaces of said locking fingers at both ends of said couplerholding said locking finger end portions and the locking bosses thereonin substantially parallel spaced locking relationship and said spacersbeing movable toward either end of said coupler withdrawing the otherends of said spacers from between the locking finger locking surfaces atthe other end of said coupler thereby releasing said fingers formovement toward each other along such other end of said coupler to anuncoupling relationship of said locking bosses at said end of saidcoupler; a spring disposed around said locking fingers and said spacersbetween said spring retainer flanges on said locking fingers; and meansassociated with said spacers interconnecting said spacers and saidspring biasing said spacers to said central position relative to saidlocking fingers for holding both ends of said locking fingers inparallel spaced locking relationship.
 11. A coupler in accordance witHclaim 10 wherein each of said spacers has spaced external springretainer flanges positioned on said spacers in alignment with saidspring retainer flanges on said locking fingers when said spacers arecentrally disposed along said locking fingers, said spring beingconfined between said spacer flanges.
 12. A coupler in accordance withclaim 10 including a pair of latch rings disposed around said lockingfingers and spacers and spaced on said fingers and spacers at oppositeends of and engaged with said spring, one of said latch rings beingbiased toward the spring flanges on said locking fingers toward one endof said locking fingers and the other of said latch rings being biasedtoward the spring flanges toward the other end of said locking fingers,each of said latch rings being rotatable between a first lockingposition for holding said spacers against movement in the direction ofthe end of said locking fingers adjacent to said latch ring and movableto a second position of rotation for releasing said spacers for movementtoward said adjacent end of said locking fingers.
 13. A coupler inaccordance with claim 12 wherein each of the said latch rings has alaterally extending key slot defining recesses toward each side of eachlatch ring on the side of said ring facing the spring flanges on thelocking fingers toward which said ring is biased, said key slot beingadapted to receive said spring flanges at said first position of each ofsaid latch rings for releasably locking each of said latch rings againstrotation relative to said locking fingers and spacers, said latch ringshaving internal recesses toward opposite sides of said rings extendingin a direction of the axis of each of said rings for receiving saidspacers whereby said spacers are released for movement relative to eachof said rings when each of said rings is rotated to said secondposition, each of said rings having internal locking flanges, and eachof said spacers having locking recesses for receiving one of saidlocking flanges in said latch rings for holding said spacers againstmovement relative to said latch rings when said latch rings are at saidfirst positions of rotation on said coupler.
 14. A coupler in accordancewith claim 13 wherein each of said locking fingers has a longitudinalslot opening through the locking boss at each end of said finger forreceiving a pin supported from the spaced body with which said end ofsaid coupler is connected whereby torque is transmitted between saidcoupler and said spaced body while said coupler is pivotally connectedwith said spaced body.
 15. A coupler in accordance with claim 10 whereineach of said locking fingers has internal longitudinally extendingrecesses for receiving an end portion of said spacers when said spacersare moved against said spring toward either end of said coupler wherebythe end portion of said spacers retracted from between the lockingsurfaces at one end of said coupler is received within said internallongitudinal locking finger recesses thereby permitting said lockingsurfaces of said fingers at said end of said coupler to be moved closertogether for releasing said end of said coupler for coupling anduncoupling said end of said coupler.
 16. A coupler in accordance withclaim 15 wherein said spacers each have longitudinal flange meansengageable with corresponding side surfaces of the locking fingers alongopposite sides of each of said spacers whereby said spacers are movablealong said locking finger side surfaces between locking and releasepositions of said spacers.
 17. A coupler in accordance with claim 13wherein each of said spacers is provided with longitudinally spacedexternal laterally extending locking recesses positioned along each ofsaid spacers to receive said internal locking flanges of said latchrings whereby when said spacers are at neutral locking positions alongsaid locking fingers and said latch rings are at said first positions ofrotation the locking flanges of one of said latch rings is received inthe locking recesses of said spacers toward one end of said coupler andthe locking flanges of the other of said latch rings are received in theother locking recesses of said spacers toward the other end of saidcoupler whereby said spacers are locked by said latch rings againstmovement in either direction relative to said locking fingers androtation of either of said latch rings to said second position of saidlatch rings releases said spacers whereby movement of the other of saidlatch rings toward said rotated latch ring displaces said spacers alongsaid locking fingers toward said rotated latch ring for releasing thelocking bosses at the end of said coupler away from which said spacersare moved for coupling and uncoupling at said end.